Power Output Enhancement of Straight-Bladed Vertical-Axis Wind Turbines with Surrounding Structures

Koichi Watanabe (), Megumi Matsumoto, Thandar Nwe, Yuji Ohya, Takashi Karasudani and Takanori Uchida
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Koichi Watanabe: Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 816-8580, Japan
Megumi Matsumoto: Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 819-0395, Japan
Thandar Nwe: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur 50603, Malaysia
Yuji Ohya: Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 816-8580, Japan
Takashi Karasudani: Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 816-8580, Japan
Takanori Uchida: Research Institute for Applied Mechanics, Kyushu University, Fukuoka 816-8580, Japan

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 18, 1-20

Abstract: Wind tunnel experiments were conducted by installing wind-acceleration structures on both sides of a straight-bladed vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) to improve the output performance of the turbine. In the case of Venturi-shape structures, a curved shape with a large outlet opening produced a higher power output than straight or brimmed Venturi shapes. More importantly, two simple flat plates installed upstream of the wind turbine achieved the highest power enhancement of 2.4 times the power of the bare wind turbine. From the analysis of the flow visualization results, the power enhancement was attributed to the increase in lift force on the blades in the upstream region due to the acceleration of the gap flow between the flat plates, and the decrease in drag force on the blades toward the upstream region due to stagnation of the flow behind the plates.

Keywords: vertical-axis wind turbine; wind-acceleration device; power enhancement; wind tunnel experiment; flow visualization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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